


Upwards

by teeandrainbows



Series: What Comes Next [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Beachkru, Canon Compliant, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Minor Claia, Minor Jope, Minor Levittavia, Minor Mackson, Minor Memori, Post-Finale, Spacekru feels, playing with hair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teeandrainbows/pseuds/teeandrainbows
Summary: She had always been there, Echo realized.  She was her home.A sequel of sorts to Onwards, although it is not necessary to read that fic first!
Relationships: Echo/Raven Reyes, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: What Comes Next [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089371
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Upwards

**Author's Note:**

> This contains spoilers for the series finale, so if you have not watched that, be warned now.

As the excitement died down from Clarke’s appearance on the beach, Echo found herself standing next to Raven. Everyone else had paired up and had gone back to whatever it was they had been doing before the interruption, but Raven was simply standing, watching the hustle and bustle.

“I still can’t believe it’s all over,” Echo murmured, lightly brushing the back of her hand against Raven’s. “Monty and Harper would have loved this.”

Raven hummed. “It’s all they ever wanted,” she agreed. Echo peeked sideways to see a tiny smile gracing the other girl’s lips.

They stood together in silence for a few moments, observing everyone’s activities.

“Hey. Walk with me,” Raven said suddenly, turning on her heels and marching off into the woods.

At first, Echo stood in shocked stillness at the abruptness of it all. Then she turned, taking a few steps at a quickened pace to catch up with the girl.

The planet really was gorgeous, she thought, as they walked. She could see why the Primes had settled here so long ago. And now it was theirs. Her eyes drew back to Raven’s ponytail bobbing ahead of her. There was plenty of chatter from the beach filtering through the trees, but Echo tuned it all out in favour of offering a small smile.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her eyes impulsively dropping to Raven’s leg, making sure she was steady on her feet with the bumpy terrain.

The other girl chuckled, turning around and facing her while she took a few steps backwards. “This is probably far enough,” she said, tilting her head to the side and regarding Echo with a grin. “We just really haven’t gotten a moment alone in… well, in a while.”

Echo nodded, shrugging a shoulder. “You’re telling me. I keep thinking something else is going to happen.”

So much could happen. A lifetime of training had taught her that. Raven must have noticed the tension rising in her expression, and she stepped closer, taking hold of Echo’s hand in both of hers.

“You said it back there, it’s all over. We can finally just… live.” She let out a sigh, rubbing her thumbs over Echo’s hand. “And god knows we’re overdue for this.”

A small chuckle escaped Echo’s lips. “Definitely.”

Raven arched an eyebrow, then slowly settled herself on the ground, her back against a tree trunk. “Come here,” she said, patting the ground.

Echo sat next to her, bumping their shoulders together. “Everything must have happened so fast for you,” she said, glancing sideways.

“It definitely was,” Raven agreed, leaning her head against Echo’s shoulder. Quickly, though, she lifted it again. “That feels weird.” She frowned. “I miss your hair.”

Echo looked down at the ground. “Oh,” she said, slowly and quietly.

Raven lifted her hands in surrender. “Not in a bad way! I just… it just reminds me… I can’t believe you went through all that crap, and it was only like a day for me. It must have been awful.”

She breathed sharply through her nose, closing her eyes. Raven didn’t know how right she was. The five years on Skyring had been the worst five years of her life, and the worst part was, it had all been for nothing.

Raven was silent for a moment, then let out a breath. “You’re older than me now.”

“I’ve always been older than you.”

She shook her head. “You know what I mean.”

Echo sighed. “Yeah, I do.”

“Hey,” Raven murmured, bringing her hand to Echo’s cheek. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up. And it looks good, by the way.” She grinned, brushing her fingers through the short hair, brushing Echo’s bangs back out of her face. “Nice and short, and out of the way. It suits you.” 

Echo closed her eyes, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. Raven seemed to notice, and her fingers slipped down, brushing against the scarring on her left temple.

“I needed to prove I could devote myself to their cause,” Echo said, lifting her hand and covering Raven’s. “And I didn’t know if I would see my family again, so I needed to feel connected to my clan.”

Raven nodded slowly, her eyes searching Echo’s. She threw her arms around her, burying her face in Echo’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that. I should have been there with you.”

Echo shook her head. “I wouldn’t have wished it on you. Five years of intense training. You didn’t need that. I did what I had to do. And you know… do you want to know how I survived those five years?”

“How?”

She pulled back from Raven, drawing in a breath. “It was you.” It was the truth. “It was always you. Getting through it all, getting Bellamy back, and coming back to you. You kept me grounded.”

Raven’s fingers were on Echo’s arm, and Echo offered her the smallest smile.

“You’re my home. Murphy and Emori, too, but especially you.”

She watched as the other girl flushed, glancing down at the ground.

“I was so happy to see you that first time on Bardo,” Raven finally admitted, letting her fingers trail down Echo’s arm and taking her hand instead. “I never believed you were brainwashed.”

Echo smiled. “Even if I was, I’m sure seeing you would have snapped me out of it.”

A pang of heartbreak stabbed through her, thinking of how Bellamy had remained convinced until the end. But, looking up at Raven, she knew she was telling the truth.

“There you are,” Murphy’s characteristic drawl interrupted them, and Echo glanced over at him. He had his arms folded in front of him, and his eyebrows were arched as he looked down at the two girls, sitting impossibly close.

“Missed us?” Raven quipped.

Murphy chuckled, stepping closer and extending his hand to help Raven to her feet. Echo pushed herself up, clapping Murphy on the elbow.

“Jackson wants everyone to try the fish he cooked. I don’t know how much I actually trust his cooking, but he insisted, and Emori told me I owe him. If I have to suffer, then you two do as well.” He gestured for them to follow.

Echo walked back to the camp next to Raven, their shoulders brushing every so often. Murphy didn’t look back at them, but she could almost sense his interest. Maybe some time they would tell him what they had talked about, but not now. Especially not surrounded by everyone else. It was private. Echo trusted the others, sure, but Raven, Murphy, and Emori were her family. And Octavia. The others were friends.

Later that evening, when Jackson and Miller had disappeared into the woods, and Murphy and Emori were wandering off down the shore, and even Gaia and Clarke were quietly chatting, Echo sat on a stump around the fire watching Jordan and Hope splash each other in the lake. Octavia and Levitt hadn’t been seen since after dinner, and Indra had gone in search of more firewood.

Sensing movement behind her, Echo glanced over her shoulder. Raven was standing there, and she put her hand on Echo’s shoulder.

“That spot taken?” she asked, nodding towards the stump next to her. Echo shook her head and reached over, pulling the stump closer. Raven sat, and Echo leaned her head on her shoulder.

“So, we both survived Jackson’s cooking,” Echo said drily, grinning as Raven giggled.

“Thank god,” the other girl replied, raising a hand and gently playing with Echo’s hair. “So, what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re all that’s left of the human race, and we have as long as we want. What do we do now?” Raven was twisting a piece of Echo’s hair around her finger while she spoke.

“I honestly haven’t thought about that yet,” Echo replied honestly.

Raven hummed. “I mean, the couples are all set. They’re just happy to be together. Indra has Gaia. What do we do?”

Echo lifted her head, meeting Raven’s eyes. “I guess we live.”

The light from the setting sun was flooding around Raven, giving her a soft glow. Echo smiled softly at her, turning to face her and taking both of her hands and squeezing them gently.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” Raven asked, her voice soft. “About me being your home?”

Echo nodded. “Of course I did,” she answered, leaning forward and resting her forehead against Raven’s.

Later, she couldn’t be certain who moved first, but suddenly her lips were against Raven’s. There was a small part of her brain screaming at her, that it was too soon, she wasn’t healed from Bellamy yet, but she squashed it. Raven was her home, the most important person in her life. From the years on the Ring, to Eden, to Sanctum, to five years of separation, and finally to now, on a beach, with the rest of their lives to live.

She pulled back slowly, opening her eyes, hoping Raven felt the same. The other girl had an unreadable expression, and Echo felt every muscle in her body tense.

And then Raven smiled.

Echo couldn’t help the sigh of relief as Raven lifted her hand to her cheek, cupping it, her fingertips brushing against the scar. With her free hand, she took Echo’s hand and pressed it to her chest, letting her feel her heartbeat.

“You’re my home too,” Raven breathed.

Raven’s lips were on hers again, smooth and firm. It was almost as if she had done this before, and Echo wondered with who, but didn’t dwell on it. Her arms looped around Raven’s neck and drew her closer.

Raven was right. They had as long as they wanted. It was time to just live. And who would tell them they couldn’t live together?

She broke the kiss, glancing upwards at the stars that were slowly becoming visible in the sky. Raven followed her gaze.

“It’s beautiful,” she said quietly.

Echo dropped her gaze back to Raven’s face, which she was starting to see in a whole new light. “Agreed,” she said, brushing a lock of Raven’s hair back.


End file.
